Reduce. Reuse. Reap a little cash on the side?
One of the unpleasant indignities of living on an island in Southeast Alaska is that we are forced — in a very tangible way — to confront how much waste we create. That confrontation comes in the form of a bill. With space at premium, we pay to bale, ship and dispose of much of our trash inside Washington state.

King Cove had sought a land trade in order to build a single-lane road to an all-weather airport at Cold Bay.

The road would allow King Cove to transport patients into Anchorage and other medical hubs. This is particularly critical for emergencies, but it also is important for non-emergencies.

The road was devised mainly to address medical-transport needs, and safeguards had been proposed to protect the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge through which it would meander.

The result would be that wildlife wouldn't be affected by heavier traffic. Although, wildlife probably wouldn't be much affected by more frequent traffic because the population is slightly less than only 1,000 at King Cove.

King Cove, a commercial fishing community, is located about 625 miles southwest of Anchorage on the Alaska Peninsula. That compares to 680 air miles between Ketchikan and Seattle.

The King Cove population is really far away from help when it comes to emergencies.

The Secretary of Interior and the federal government should be working with that population to come up with a workable year-round solution to medical transport. It is the public servant's job to assist the people. Sally Jewell should know that by the time she reached the position of secretary.